The Finks
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Finks is an Australian
outlaw motorcycle club An outlaw motorcycle club is a motorcycle subculture generally centered on the use of cruiser motorcycles, particularly Harley-Davidsons and choppers, and a set of ideals that purport to celebrate freedom, nonconformity to mainstream culture, ...
that was formed in Sydney, Australia, in 1969 and now also has chapters in other states. The name comes from ''
The Wizard of Id ''The Wizard of Id'' is a daily newspaper comic strip created by American cartoonists Brant Parker and Johnny Hart. Beginning November 16, 1964, the strip follows the antics of a large cast of characters in a shabby medieval kingdom called "Id" ...
'' cartoon where the peasants, to his dismay, often proclaim, "The King is a fink!". The logo used by the Finks is of
Bung A stopper or cork is a cylindrical or conical closure used to seal a container, such as a bottle, tube or barrel. Unlike a lid or bottle cap, which encloses a container from the outside without displacing the inner volume, a bung is partially ...
, the king's jester. The pants worn by the jester used to differ in colour depending on the state the chapter resides in. The club was restricted by government actions in
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
. Despite rivalries, various other groups joined to protest the South Australian government's proposed "anti-bikie legislation". It was reported in October 2013 that most members were to switch to the United States-based
Mongols Motorcycle Club The Mongols Motorcycle Club, sometimes called the Mongols Nation or Mongol Brotherhood, is a "one-percenter" outlaw motorcycle club. The club is headquartered in Southern California and was originally formed in Montebello, California, in 1969. L ...
. In 2019, a leader of the Finks Motorcycle Club commit suicide while awaiting charges for violent drug and weapons-related offenses. Brent Reker moved cells shortly before he took his own life, and the incident is being investigated by the Victorian Coroners Court.


Perth chapter

The Perth chapter of the Finks was formed after Troy Mercanti was expelled from the
Coffin Cheaters The Coffin Cheaters are an international outlaw motorcycle club that was formed in Perth, Western Australia (WA), in 1970. The Perth-based Coffin Cheaters amalgamated in 1999 with a previously unrelated club in Victoria called Coffin Cheaters, a ...
and joined his friend and South Australian Fink member Frank Condo in forming the Perth chapter in 2008. Other eastern states members came to Perth to start the chapter, but over time all, including Condo, either left the club or returned to their original states. The commencement of the Perth chapter caused friction between the Finks and the Coffin Cheaters Perth. The Perth Finks clubhouse has been frozen under the proceeds of crime after Mercanti's then partner Tammy Kingdon was convicted by a District Court jury in November 2010 of four counts of stealing and one count of property laundering. Kingdon funnelled money from a Coffin Cheaters trust fund set up for the daughters of Marc Chabriere, who was a Coffin Cheaters member murdered during the 1998 bikie war between the Coffin Cheaters and the
Club Deroes The Club Deroes Motorcycle Club or Club Deroes MC are an Australian outlaw motorcycle club that was formed in Perth, Western Australia, in 1971. Four club policy and the Mongrel Mob conflict In the 1980s Western Australia was home to four outlaw ...
. The stolen money from the fund was used to purchase the Finks clubhouse. During the Motorplex brawl Fink member Stephen Wallace had three fingers severed. Finks members Clovis Chikonga, Troy Smith, Stephen Laurence Silvestro, Tristan Roger Allbeury, and Stephen Wallace were all imprisoned for two years despite pleas from their lawyer that Allbeury had bipolar disorder, ADHD and suffered post-traumatic stress. Wallace is the long-term boyfriend of fellow convicted heroin trafficker Holly Deane-Johns, who served time in WA before arrest in Thailand in 2000 for trying to mail 10.4 grams of heroin to Perth. She was jailed in 2003 for 31 years before her prisoner transfer deal in 2007. Allbeury is currently held on remand after being charged by Gang Crime Squad Detectives with Attempting to Pervert the Course of Justice. Allbeury is also charged with Grievous Bodily Harm over a prison assault that broke a fellow inmates jaw. In September 2012, whilst in prison, Allbeury was found with a smart phone and cannabis in his cell. Mercanti was arrested in January 2012 by the Gang Crime Squad and jailed in March 2013 for 6 years and 10 months after pleading guilty late in his trial to domestic violence charges against his former partner Tammy Kingdon. Increasing drug and alcohol use were blamed for the 15 years of abuse. In October 2013 the Perth Finks were patched over by the Mongols MC and
Rock Machine The Rock Machine Motorcycle Club (RMMC) or Rock Machine is an international outlaw motorcycle club founded in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1986. It has twenty one Canadian chapters spread across seven provinces. It also has nine chapters in the ...
.


Other states

Popular criminal Vince Focarelli was kicked out of the Hells Angels. He then joined other clubs including the Comancheros, and set up his own club. He left the Comancheros later. Him and his son Giovanni were shot at by unknown assailants in 2012. Vince was sent to the Royal Adelaide Hospital and his son died. He has refused to name any suspects even though this was not the first time he was targeted. While Vince was in hospital, he was visited by friends who are Finks members. Some Finks members also visited the funeral of Giovanni. In 2012, Finks member Mark James Graham was charged with the attempted murder of
Bandidos The Bandidos Motorcycle Club, also known as the Bandido Nation, is an outlaw motorcycle club with a worldwide membership. Formed in San Leon, Texas in 1966, the Bandidos MC is estimated to have between 2,000 and 2,500 members and 303 chapters, l ...
member Jacques Teamo in a shooting at the Robina Town Centre shopping centre. In 2012, Patrick Mcmillan was arrested and charged with firing a pistol at a man, and intentionally and recklessly causing serious injury to him at his Ferntree Gully home he shared with his girlfriend Rachel Osborn, theft, trespass, drug and weapon possession, dealing with proceeds of crime and traffic offences.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Finks, The Outlaw motorcycle clubs Gangs in Australia Motorcycle clubs in Australia 1969 establishments in Australia Organizations established in 1969 Organisations based in Adelaide